POLITICO NIGHTLY: Biden’s dual Democratic dilemmas

 

BY RENUKA RAYASAM Presented by Facebook With help from Blake Hounshell and Myah Ward TIGHTROPE — President Joe Biden has spent the first few months of his term holding together a sprawling caucus of progressives and moderates, trying to be both the old-school politician eager to hash out deals with Republicans and a champion of big spending and social justice. This week that balancing act got a lot trickier. Israel approved a ceasefire with Hamas today after the worst fighting between the two groups since 2014. The de-escalation in tensions comes after Biden pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the violence. Still, the latest round of fighting has revealed how the bipartisan consensus around the decades-old conflict has crumbled. Progressives are far more outspoken about their support for Palestine, challenging Biden’s long-held views. In a four-minute speech today Biden emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself, and pledged to Netanyahu his “full support” to replenish the nation’s Iron Dome defense system. Also this week, the Supreme Court decided to take up a Mississippi abortion ban case that challenges the precedent of Roe v. Wade. The move will force Biden to decide how far he wants Congress to go in securing abortion rights ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. He’s largely stayed quiet on abortion, but progressives want him to speak up. Watch Renu and Playbook author Ryan Lizza talk about what this week tells us about how Biden is navigating the new dynamics in the Democratic Party. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Next week Renu will moderate a panel about the maternal mortality crisis in Illinois. Register to watch here. Reach out with news, tips and ideas for us at rrayasam@politico.com, or on Twitter at @renurayasam. A message from Facebook: The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too It's been 25 years since comprehensive internet regulations passed. See why we support updated regulations on key issues, including: – Protecting people’s privacy – Enabling safe and easy data portability between platforms – Preventing election interference – Reforming Section 230   FIRST IN NIGHTLY “I think what we have seen — and this really is unprecedented — is athletes emerging as a political bloc, and as a voting bloc, that matters. … We’ve talked about hockey moms in the past, we’ve talked about soccer moms in the past — well, now we’re just talking about the athletes.” — DR. AMY BASS, PROFESSOR OF SPORT STUDIES AT MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE, TO IAN WARD AND CALDER MCHUGH IN “HOW DEMOCRATS LEARNED TO LOVE ACTIVIST ATHLETES,” RUNNING FRIDAY MORNING IN POLITICO MAGAZINE   SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     NIGHTLY INTERVIEW SOCIAL INSECURITY — Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) has been warning about Social Security’s insolvency for years. He has been pushing for a proposal that would boost benefits for the first time in nearly 40 years. The Social Security Administration’s annual trustee report, which is expected to drop any day now, will likely warn that the program will run out of funds within the next 15 years. Social Security’s looming insolvency used to be the talk of Washington, but these days it has faded into the background. Renu spoke with Larson, the chair of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, about his plans to put the issue back on the congressional agenda. This interview has been edited. Do you know what this year’s trustee report might tell us about the impact of the pandemic on Social Security’s solvency? We’ve been monitoring it very closely, but the latest thing the actuaries are saying is that the pandemic might not have quite the dramatic effect. While birth rates may be lower, over 500,000 people have died as well. They thought that there might be a notch that would be created for people born in 1960, but they seem to think that the recovery of the economy and the rescue plan may have diminished that as well. The bottom line is Covid did lay open what existed already: Over 5 million Americans retired in the country who are living in poverty, who have paid into Social Security and get a below poverty level check. When we look at this — and God rest his soul before he passed — John Lewis had indicated this is the next civil rights issue. The people impacted the most are women and specifically women of color. Republicans have argued that your proposal would unfairly boost taxes on millennials and small business owners. Do you think your bill would boost benefits to older Americans at the expense of younger ones? [Social Security] is the nation’s No. 1 anti-poverty program for the elderly and children as well. They end up getting more and have something they can rely on. It’s not an entitlement; it’s an earned benefit. No one should retire into poverty after working all their lives. I was in the insurance business and went to the Aetna insurance school. We learned that there were three legs of the financial stool, including pensions, personal savings and Social Security. It’s a guarantee. Congress has punted on this issue for a while — the last major overhaul to the program was in 1983. With so much on the agenda, do you think lawmakers will have the bandwidth to take this up? Covid is going to come and go, and the rescue plan will be gone. But what will remain permanent will be Social Security. And what Social Security needs is congressional attention. It is Congress’ responsibility to act, and Congress has to do a novel thing here — they have to vote. We’re looking to drop a bill that will contain the administration’s best thinking and the legislators’ best thinking. We’re going to have hearings on it. Example of the Social Security cards Rep. John Larson had made for all members of Congress. | Courtesy of John Larson's office I have produced for every member of Congress their own little Social Security card. It will tell them specifically how many people are receiving Social Security in your congressional district, then say how much money that means comes into your district on a monthly basis. As we all know, those dollars go right back into the community. The cards are done, and I am waiting to send them out.       WHAT'D I MISS? — McCarthy says he’d testify before independent Jan. 6 commission: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said today that he would be willing to testify before an independent commission investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection about his conversation with then-President Donald Trump as the attack on the Capitol unfolded. — Biden signs anti-Asian hate crimes legislation: Biden signed into law today anti-hate crime legislation in response to the surge of attacks on Asian Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic.“Every time we’re silent, every time we let hate flourish, we make a lie of who we are as a nation,” Biden said before signing the bill two days after Congress finished passing it. “We cannot let the very foundation of this country continue to be eaten away like it has been in other moments in our history and happening again.” — U.S., Russia at odds over military activity in the Arctic: The Biden administration is leading a campaign against Russian attempts to assert authority over Arctic shipping and reintroduce a military dimension to discussions over international activity in the area. — Biden proposes huge IRS funding boost to snag tax cheats: Biden’s plan would be phased in to give the agency time to absorb the additional resources. In a report today, the Treasury Department said the IRS would hire thousands of new enforcement agents under its plan, but its staff would never grow by more than a “manageable” 15 percent each year. AROUND THE NATION STEEL CITY SHAKEUP — Managing editor Blake Hounshell emails: My hometown, Pittsburgh, is about to do something that’s never happened in its 226-year history: elect a Black mayor. On Tuesday, state Rep. Ed Gainey knocked out two-term mayor Bill Peduto in the Democratic primary, an upset that all but guarantees Gainey will win the general election. The outcome was stunning to many, as Peduto had wide support among Pittsburgh’s elites. He welcomed big tech companies like Google and Uber; he touted flashy neighborhood redevelopment projects; he gabbed on conference panels about the latest new urbanist trends. Yet Peduto couldn’t escape the changing politics of the moment — namely, the ripple effects of George Floyd’s death and America’s reckoning with policing and racism. He had taken some heat for the way the city’s police handled last year’s Black Lives Matter protests, and probably got too closely identified with the flashy tech and real estate transformation he so often promoted. To me — a transplant to Pittsburgh whose first exposure to the city’s treacherous neighborhood dynamics was a riot at my largely middle-class, mixed-race high school — what’s most noteworthy is that only a quarter of the city’s population is Black. So Gainey, a longtime legislative aide and city development specialist, clearly won over thousands of white voters with his calls to “improve the quality of life for everybody.” In a city that remains one of the country’s most segregated, one whose external brand has been dominated by its European immigrant communities — think pierogies, brats, steins of beer, Heinz ketchup — Gainey’s election is a political watershed. He seemed humbled by the weight of that history as he accepted Peduto’s concession this week, telling his supporters, “One person can’t change a city. A city is changed when we all come together.”   SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.     ASK THE AUDIENCE Nightly asks you: CDC guidelines and the president say we can drop our masks if we’re vaxxed. But to Nightly editor Chris Suellentrop, the real sign of our pandemic spring was the return of self-service fountain drinks at his local Panera. What small change have you witnessed recently that surprised and delighted you? Send us your answer in our form, and we’ll include select responses in our Friday edition. NIGHTLY NUMBER $1.9 billion The cost of the emergency funding bill House Democrats passed today intended to fortify the U.S. Capitol, overcoming last-minute resistance from a group of progressive members who objected to more cash for Capitol Police that did not include new accountability measures. PARTING WORDS The University of North Carolina, pictured here, has denied Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times Magazine, a tenured position. | Gerry Broome/AP Photo CAROLINA BLUES — Nightly’s Myah Ward emails: My ears perked up this week when I learned that my alma mater, the University of North Carolina, had denied Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times Magazine, a tenured position. The decision went against UNC’s typical practice: Since the university began working with the Knight Foundation in 1980, Knight chairs at UNC — the position Hannah-Jones would hold — have been tenured and, like her, have come from professional journalism jobs. The reasons for the decision aren’t clear. The chair of the university’s board of trustees said today that the journalism school made the decision to offer a non-tenured contract to Hannah-Jones, which she accepted. But the dean of the journalism school, Susan King, says she and her colleagues were enthusiastic about a tenured position, and that she was told the board objected because Hannah-Jones came from outside academia. Another board member told the website NC Policy Watch the decision came down to “politics.” The Republican-controlled North Carolina Legislature appoints the university system’s board of governors, which in turn holds a lot of power over the university’s board of trustees. Hannah-Jones has faced backlash from conservatives, and some historians, for her work on The Times’ 1619 Project, which reignited the ongoing debate about slavery’s legacy in America — and for which she won her Pulitzer. What’s happening to Hannah-Jones, a UNC alum herself, is sickening to many faculty, students and outside observers. But it’s not surprising to those who know the institution — especially students, faculty and staff of color, who have felt endangered by the university’s decisions time and time again. To take one example: In 2018, after students toppled Silent Sam , a Confederate monument, the university decided to donate the statue to the Sons of the Confederate Veterans and agreed to fund a $2.5 million trust to house the statue safely off campus, infuriating professors and students. (A judge overturned the agreement last year.) Or look at how the university failed to address low-wage service workers’ safety concerns when fully reopening campus last fall during the pandemic. The board of trustees often rules in ways that don’t align with the politics of a liberal student body and its professors. Now, the Hannah-Jones decision has inflamed those tensions again. Kate Sheppard, one of 40 faculty members from the journalism school who signed a statement condemning the move, tweeted that “not granting tenure to @nhannahjones is entirely based on racist, reactionary and anti-academic-freedom ideology at the highest levels.” The president of the Knight Foundation, which endows the chair to which Hannah-Jones was appointed, said the foundation would “urge the trustees of the University of North Carolina to reconsider their decision within the timeframe of our agreement.” I wouldn’t be shocked if the board reverses its decision. The university has been known to backtrack once criticism stains that Carolina blue. When coronavirus case counts surged, UNC switched to remote learning last summer. But in some sense, it doesn’t really matter at this point. Who knows if Hannah-Jones will still want to work at a university that denied her what she has earned? Who knows how many Black and brown professors — voices the university and the j-school desperately need — will look the other way when choosing between UNC, and another university that will give them the respect they deserve? A message from Facebook: Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations 2021 is the 25th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the last major update to internet regulation. It’s time for an update to set clear rules for addressing today's toughest challenges. See how we’re taking action on key issues and why we support updated internet regulations.   Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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RSN: FOCUS: The Louisiana Police Lynching of Ronald Greene Finally Comes to Light BARBARIANS!

 

20 May 21 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News IF YOU ARE GOING TO STAY, YOU HAVE TO HELP — The budget is too thin to do this. We have many, many more readers than donors and it is breaking the process down. We understand that we will lose some readers, although in fairness we haven’t lost many yet. If you stay we need your help and we need it now. / Marc Ash, Founder, Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! FOCUS: The Louisiana Police Lynching of Ronald Greene Finally Comes to Light Joe Jurado, The Root Jurado writes: "Details regarding the 2019 death of Ronald Greene after an altercation with Louisiana state troopers have been shrouded in mystery, with Greene's family accusing the State Police of attempting a cover up." etails regarding the 2019 death of Ronald Greene after an altercation with Louisiana state troopers have been shrouded in mystery, with Greene’s family accusing the State Police of attempting a cover up. Police officials initially said that Greene died on impact after his car crashed into a tree. Recently released body camera footage of the incident paints a very different, and far more horrific picture. The Associated Press reports that on May 10, 2019, Green, a Black man, failed to pull over for an unknown traffic violation and led officers on a high speed pursuit. As mentioned above, State Police initially told Greene’s family that he died after crashing into a tree. They eventually released a one-page statement saying that Greene got into an altercation with officers and died on his way to the hospital. In the two years since the incident, police officials have repeatedly refused calls to release body camera footage of the incident or provide thorough details about what exactly led to his death. AP obtained and released body camera footage from one of the officers involved in Greene’s arrest and it’s abundantly clear why they didn’t: they brutalized a man and then tried to lie about it. From AP: The 46-minute clip shows one trooper wrestling Greene to the ground, putting him in a chokehold and punching him in the face while another can be heard calling him a “stupid motherf——.” Greene wails “I’m sorry!” as another trooper delivers another stun gun shock to his backside and warns, “Look, you’re going to get it again if you don’t put your f——- hands behind your back!” Another trooper can be seen briefly dragging the man facedown after his legs had been shackled and his hands cuffed behind him. Instead of rendering aid, the troopers leave the burly man unattended, facedown and moaning for more than nine minutes as they use sanitizer wipes to wash blood off their hands and faces. “I hope this guy ain’t got f——— AIDS,” one of the troopers can be heard saying. After a several-minute stretch in which Greene is not seen on camera, he appears again, limp, unresponsive and bleeding from his head and face. He is then loaded onto an ambulance gurney, his arm cuffed to the bedrail. “They murdered him. It was set out, it was planned,” Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, said Wednesday. “He didn’t have a chance. Ronnie didn’t have a chance. He wasn’t going to live to tell about it.” A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police issued a statement condemning the video’s unofficial release. “LSP is confident in the judicial system and fair review of this incident and continues to offer our full cooperation,” the spokesperson said. “Unauthorized release of evidence undermines the investigative process and compromises the fair and impartial outcome for the Greene family, LSP employees, and the community.” Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you can really try and take the moral high ground when your organization was blatantly aware that a man was brutalized by officers and decided to call it a car crash. Administrative officials in the State Police initially ruled that the force used against Greene was “awful but lawful,” and didn’t open an investigation until 474 days after Greene had lied. And somehow they wonder why we’re not gung-ho about backing the blue. Greene’s family was previously authorized to view the footage by Governor John Bel Edwards last year, and Edwards said he would release the footage to the public after a federal investigation was completed. The family has filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit alleging that the troopers “brutalized” Greene, “left him beaten, bloodied and in cardiac arrest,” before ultimately trying to cover up the cause of death. Trooper Dakota DeMoss, Trooper Kory York, and Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth were all seen in the footage participating to some degree. DeMoss and Hollingsworth approached Greene’s SUV after he pulled over and repeatedly tased him. York was seen grabbing Greene by his ankles and dragging him while he was handcuffed. In a separate recording obtained by AP, Hollingsworth could be heard bragging to a colleague that he “beat the ever-living f—- out of” Greene. Shortly after being informed that he would be fired for his role in Greene’s case, Hollingsworth died in a single vehicle crash. York was suspended for a week without pay for turning off his body camera and dragging Greene, while DeMoss was later arrested for his role in a similar incident where he allegedly used excessive force when arresting a motorist.

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Greg Palast Confronts Kris Kobach About Crosscheck Voter Purging Lists

 The Al Capone of vote rigging, Crosscheck creator Kris Kobach, in his capacity as Vice Chair of Trump's so-called Presidential Election "Integrity" Commission, has demanded the personal information, voting history, and party affiliation of every US voter.

MASSterList: He knew? | Licensing overall | MassBank: Today's sponsor - Mascon Medical

 

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This email may be cut off by your email provider. To see today's full MASSterList, click "View entire message" at the bottom, or view the online version here. By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan 05/20/2021 He knew? | Licensing overall | MassBank   Advertisement     Happening Today   Gaming Commission, Senate session, mayoral candidates’ forum   -- The Gaming Commission meets and will hear an update on how the slots parlor and casinos are adhering to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, vote on a handful of racing-related matters, and hear from the executive director about a review of commission regulations, 10 a.m.  -- The Massachusetts Senate meets in formal session and is expected to take action bills to finance construction of a new Holyoke Soldiers' Home, create a COVID-19 emergency paid leave program, and address imminent unemployment trust fund solvency rate increases, Senate Chamber, 11 a.m. -- House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight holds a hearing on the U.S. Treasury's guidance for use of $5.2 billion in funds allocated to Massachusetts through the American Rescue Plan, 11 a.m. -- Gov. Charlie Baker is scheduled to participate in a half-hour interview on GBH's ‘Boston Public Radio,’ WGBH-FM 89.7, 12 p.m. -- Greater Boston Labor Council hosts Boston mayoral candidates for a virtual forum focused on jobs and workers, one in a series of forums hosted by community and labor groups each Thursday through June 10, 6 p.m. For the most comprehensive list of calendar items, check out State House News Service’s Daily Advances (pay wall – free trial subscriptions available), as well as MassterList’s Beacon Hill Town Square below.     Sponsored Mascon Medical is committed to solving the issues of Covid-19 PPE supplies and vaccine distribution in Massachusetts, especially in those communities most affected by the pandemic. This minority-owned family business based in Woburn stands ready to help your town get back to normal. For more information, call us at 781-938-5800.     Today's News   Reminder to readers: SHNS Coronavirus Tracker available for free   A reminder to our readers as the coronavirus crisis unfolds: The paywalled State House News Service, which produces MASSterList, is making its full Coronavirus Tracker available to the community for free on a daily basis each morning via ML. SHNS Coronavirus Tracker.     The coronavirus numbers: 14 new deaths, 17,433 total deaths, 425 new cases   WCVB has the latest coronavirus numbers for Massachusetts.     Gross: Walsh knew of domestic-violence allegations against Dennis White   Former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross says he knew. Former Mayor Marty Walsh denies that he knew. And so unfolds the latest development in the ugly, ongoing saga over embattled Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White -- and who knew what and when about past domestic-violence allegations against White. Ally Jarmanning at WBUR, a three-reporter team at the Globe and WCVB have more.  Fyi, Universal Hub’s headline: “Gross throws Walsh under bus in White case.” And, while we’re at it, we might as well throw this Globe story into the mix: “Boston police Sergeant Brian Dunford caught on video physically assaulting a child, report says.”         Prefer to enjoy Keller at Large in print rather than audio? You can access Jon’s most recent columns here: 5/11/21 - Geoff Diehl's Bronco Ride To Nowhere 5/4/21 - Keller's Grim Commencement Speech 4/27/21 - Reading The Tea Leaves In The Boston Mayoral Race     Baker proposes major licensing overhaul and agency reshufflings   If this passes, it’s going to impact the licensing process for hundreds of thousands of workers across the state. From SHNS’s Matt Murphy: “Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation Wednesday to overhaul the state's professional licensing operations, proposing to transfer 13 boards to the Department of Public Health and to give regulators enhanced authority to investigate license holders.” The new trimmed-down Division of Professional Licensure would be renamed the Division of Occupational Licensure. SHNS (pay wall -- free trial subscription available)     Better keep a mask in your car’s glove compartment   Quincy-based Stop & Shop announced yesterday it will stop requiring customers to wear masks in its Massachusetts stores before the end of the month, keeping its policies in line with the governor’s new May 29 reopening guidelines, reports WCVB. But in a sign it’s going to get confusing out there post-May 29, Simon Group, the nation’s largest shopping-mall operator with 13 centers in Massachusetts, says it’s keeping its mask requirements, according to a separate WCVB report. You know it’s going to happen: People walking up to store fronts, unmasked, then sighing when they spot ‘masks required’ signs.      SJC to administration: Act faster on medical parole for inmates   CommonWealth’s Shira Schoenberg reports on two Supreme Judicial Court rulings on medical-parole cases that come down to this: Speed it up, DOC. Schoenberg explains. CommonWealth         Could Charlie Baker survive a Republican primary?   The short answer to the above question posed by GBH’s Adam Reilly: Likely, if not certainly. Still, Reilly explores all the challenges the moderate Gov. Charlie Baker would face in a GOP primary, if he runs for a third term next year, now that hard-core conservatives hold such strong sway in the state party. GBH     Meanwhile, ex-Baker aide joins Keating challenger’s campaign   Speaking of the 2022 elections, read into this what you will regarding the governor’s political intentions next year, to wit: A report by SHNS’s Matt Murphy that Noelle Marston, formerly a top member of Gov. Baker’s political operation, has joined the campaign of Republican Congressional candidate Jesse Brown, who’s challenging U.S. Rep. Bill Keating.     Unprompted, Baker pronounces: ‘I stand with Israel’   We’re not sure what prompted this surprise pronouncement from Gov. Charlie Baker, considering he’s known for avoiding involvement in national and international politics. But pronounce he did yesterday on Twitter: “I stand with Israel in defense of peace and security, and pray for a swift end to the bloodshed.” SHNS’s Matt Murphy and the Globe’s Matt Stout have more.  And we’re pretty sure we’ll be hearing more from members of the Markeyverse’s ‘Army of 16-Year-Olds,’ who the NYT’s Ellen Barry profiled yesterday.         MassBank? Black Economic Council pushes for new state-owned bank   The Globe’s Jon Chesto reports that the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts has made the creation of a new state-owned bank a top legislative priority on Beacon Hill. The motive is noble: helping Black-owned businesses recover after the pandemic. But the global track record of pols running government-owned banks – dishing out loans, investing in companies, hiring executives etc. -- is pretty darn miserable. We’ll see. Boston Globe     George Floyd’s family attorney on Mikayla Miller’s death: ‘Was she lynched?’   Ben Crump, the high-profile attorney who recently helped the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, is now involved in the Mikayla Miller case and is bluntly asking: “Was she lynched?” Norman Miller at MetroWest Daily News, Jackson Cote at MassLive and CBS Boston have more on the latest developments in the controversial case.     Same difference? Bail requests down, dangerousness hearings up in Berkshire County   Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington has largely kept her campaign promise to reduce her office’s reliance on cash bail in minor criminal cases but appears to be relying more heavily on dangerousness hearings to keep some suspects in custody, Heather Bellow and Amanda Burke report at the Berkshire Eagle.  Berkshire Eagle     Advertisement     Hampden DA sues Justice Department for records in scathing police-misconduct report   They really want to know how they reached their conclusions. From Patrick Johnson at MassLive: “Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni is suing the U.S. Department of Justice, seeking the release of records used in the federal agency’s report on alleged patterns of misconduct and excessive force in the Springfield Police Department.”  MassLive     Harvard Square’s Charles Hotel caught up in Gates-divorce saga   It’s official: We have a local Bill Gates-divorce-saga angle. The BBJ’s Grant Welker reports one of the many properties tech titan Bill Gates and his wife Melinda will have to sort out in their divorce proceedings is none other than Harvard Square’s upscale Charles Hotel, owned by the Gates via a “secretive investment firm.” BBJ     Abuse a pet, lose a pet   From SHNS’s Chris Van Buskirk: “A person convicted of animal abuse could not own an animal or work in a position where animals are present for up to 15 years based on the number of offenses, under a bill advocates pitched Wednesday as a way to protect the safety of animals and prevent abuse.” SHNS (pay wall -- free trial subscription available)         He’s out: Acting Mayor Murphy won’t seek permanent job in Holyoke   Speculation over. Acting Holyoke Mayor Terence Murphy says he won’t run for election in November, ending weeks of speculation and leaving a wide open race among six declared candidates, Dennis Hohenberger at Masslive and Matt Szafranski at Western Mass. Politics and Insight report.      Self help: Aquinnah board member approved overpayment to himself, state says   Maybe he was a little too plugged in. The State Ethics Commission says Aquinnah Select Board member Gary Haley violated ethics rules by awarding himself a contract to perform electrical work for the town, overcharging the community by some $4,000 and then approving payment to himself, Rich Salzberg at the Martha’s Vineyard Times reports. Martha's Vineyard Times     Under review: New Bedford police take fresh look at controversial gang list   They’re giving it a fresh look. New Bedford Acting Police Chief Paul Oliveira is actively reviewing his department’s keeping of a list of potential gang members, a practice slammed in a recent report saying young minorities were being singled out in the port city, Anastasia Lennon at the Standard-Times reports.  Standard Times         No green card, no long-term care for immigrants in Mass.   WBUR’s Lynn Jolicoeur and Lisa Mulins have an interesting, and sad, story about how hundreds of immigrants suffering from dementia and other ailments can’t stay in long-term care facilities under MassHealth rules. In one case, a Liberian immigrant suffering from dementia has been stuck at Clinton Hospital for three years now. Yes, three years. WBUR     Republicans make clear: They oppose expanded mail-in and early voting in Mass.   State Auditor Suzanne Bump, a Democrat, yesterday said she favors expansion of mail-in and early voting in Massachusetts – as long as the initiatives are properly funded by the state, SHNS’s Chris Lisinski reports. But some conservatives and Republican bigwigs made clear yesterday they’re against the plans – with or without state funding, as the Herald’s Erin Tiernan reports.     'Matty In The Morning’ storms off the air over Demi Lovato comment restrictions   Legendary radio DJ/host Matt Siegel stormed off his morning show yesterday, saying he won’t be silenced nor canceled when it comes to making jokes about singer Demi Lovato’s new non-binary status and use of pronouns. But Matty will be back, reports Kevin Slane at Boston.com. Boston.com     Today's Headlines   Metro   Andrea Campbell proposes ‘30 day challenge’ around Methadone Mile - Boston Herald Milton Officer Pleads Not Guilty In Rant At Teen Over BLM Support - WBUR   Massachusetts   Baker proposes overhaul of licensing - CommonWealth Magazine Pittsfield City Council endorses new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Berkshire Eagle Couple files civil rights lawsuit against the town of Natick - MetroWest Daily News   Nation   Inspired by Arizona recount, Trump loyalists push to revisit election results in communities around the country - Washington Post Near-Complete Ban on Abortion Is Signed Into Law in Texas - New York Times   Jobs   Reach MASSterList's 22,000 Beacon Hill connected and policy-minded subscribers with your job postings. Have friends interested in one of these positions? Forward the newsletter to them! Contact David Art at dart@massterlist.com or call 860-576-1886 for more information.   Recent postings to the MASSterList Job Board:   Constituent Services Liaison, City of Brockton Vice President (Labor Communications), 617MediaGroup Research Associate, Worcester Regional Research Bureau, Inc. Director of Planning and Economic Development, City of Everett Affordable Housing Program Manager, City of Everett Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, City of Everett Development Director, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay Member Relations Specialist, Associated Industries of Massachusetts City Clerk/Clerk of the Council, City of Newton Legislative Director, Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) Director of Maintenance, Brookline Housing Authority Regional Advocacy Manager (Northeast), Compassion and Choices Senior Manager, Program Development, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Director of Communications and Marketing, Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) Communications Manager, Group Insurance Commission Account Director (Digital Strategy), 617MediaGroup Public Policy & Operations Manager, Massachusetts Business Roundtable Assistant City Solicitor, City of Brockton Communications Specialist, Massachusetts Teachers Association   To view more events or post an event listing on Beacon Hill Town Square, please visit events.massterlist.com. Beacon Hill Town Square   May 20, 12:15 p.m. Calibrated Resistance: The Political Dynamics of Iran's Nuclear Policymaking under Trump Hosted by: Harvard Kennedy School   Everyone is welcome to join us via Zoom! Please register before the event. Speakers and Presenters:​Abolghasem Bayyenat, Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom More Information     May 21, 1 p.m. Boston Rock City: Explore Wikidata and Learn about Local Music Hosted by: Boston Public Library   The BPL is partnering with Harvard Library for a guided exploration of Wikidata and local music history. Join us for two days of music and Wikidata editing, no prior experience necessary! Project staff will provide you with everything you need to generate new Wikidata entities. You'll also get to learn about how we can use these new Wikidata entities to synthesize and visualize data. More Information     May 25, 9:30 a.m. Book Talk with Tony Saich, Author of "From Rebel to Ruler: One Hundred Years of the Chinese Communist Party" Hosted by: Harvard Kennedy School   The Ash Center invites you to a book talk with Tony Saich, Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Ash Center Director, and author of the forthcoming From Rebel to Ruler: One Hundred Years of the Chinese Communist Party (Harvard University Press, 2021). More Information     May 25, 6:30 p.m. Skip Finley - Whaling Captains of Color: America's First Meritocracy Hosted by: Boston Public Library   Join the Boston Public Library in partnership with the Museum of African American History (MAAH), the State Library of Massachusetts, and American Ancestors New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) for an online conversation with Skip Finley, author of Whaling Captains of Color: America's First Meritocracy. More Information     May 25, 8:30 p.m. The Role of Industry and Business in Protecting the Environment Hosted by: EPA   For business & industry: New laws overview focusing on the General Environmental Duty, risk management and how EPA is supporting you. More Information     May 26, 6 p.m. Battle Green Vietnam: The 1971 March on Concord, Lexington, and Boston Hosted by: Boston Public Library   Join us to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic antiwar march and protest on Memorial Day Weekend 1971 and learn more about this key event in Massachusetts history at MassMoments More Information     May 27, 11:30 a.m. Words of Wisdom featuring Lovin Spoonfuls Hosted by: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce   Join us for this discussion where we'll hear from Founder and Executive Director, Ashley Stanley, who will provide insight to the ways her organization has shifted during this pandemic and what ways we can get involved to support community members who may be suffering from food insecurity. Moderated by Afua Ankrah, Business Operations, Global Government Affairs and Policy, Bluebird Bio. More Information   How to Contact MASSterList     For advertising questions and Beacon Hill Town Square submissions, please email: dart@massterlist.com. For Happening Today calendar and press release submissions, please email: news@statehousenews.com. For editorial matters, please email: editorial@massterlist.com.   MASSterList, 568 Washington St, Wellesley, MA 02482